Col du Granon

Col du Granon (el. 2,413 m or 7,917 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. A narrow tarmac road winds steeply up the southern approach. Gravel roads continue beyond the pass, in a military training zone.^{[citation needed]}

Col du Granon
Col du Granon
Elevation	2,413 m (7,917 ft)
Traversed by	D234T
Location	Hautes-Alpes, France
Range	Massif des Cerces (Alps)
Coordinates	44°57′46″N 06°36′40″E
Col du Granon Location of Col du Granon

It hosted the highest ever mountain-top stage finish in the Tour de France—once only—in 1986, until the 2011 Tour de France, that had a finish in the Col du Galibier, at 2,645 m (8,678 ft) of altitude. Eduardo Chozas of Spain won the stage after a long lone breakaway.

During the 2022 Tour de France Team Jumbo-Visma launched a relentless attack against two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar, using Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and Primož Roglič, which allowed Jonas Vingegaard to seize the yellow jersey. Like LeMond in 1986, Vingegaard would defend his lead for the rest of the race.^[1]

Description

Two roads lead to the pass at 2,645 m (8,678 ft). The D234T climbs 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) with a 9% average gradient from Saint-Chaffrey at an altitude of 1,364 metres (4,475 ft). From the east a dirt road to the military pass at Val-des-Prés climbs 15.3 kilometres (9.5 mi) at almost 7% gradient.

Tour de France – stage finishes

The road crossing the pass, with the Grand Aréa on the background

Year	Stage	Category	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Stage Winner	Leader in general classification
2022	11	H	Albertville	152	Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)	Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)
1986	17	H	Gap	190	Eduardo Chozas (ESP)	Greg LeMond (USA)

See also

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes
• Ouvrage Col du Granon, part of the Alpine Line fortifications of southeastern France